KR20220103559A - Apparatus and method for error correction in wireless communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to 5^th generation (5G), beyond-5G, and future generation communication systems for supporting higher data rates after 4^th generation (4G) communication systems such as long term evolution (LTE). In a wireless communication system, an electronic device includes: a processor; an antenna array; a plurality of first radio frequency (RF) paths related to a first stream, wherein each of the first RF paths includes a transmission path and a reception path; and a plurality of second RF paths associated with a second stream, wherein each of the second RF paths includes a transmission path and a reception path. The processor may be configured to include the steps of: generating a calibration signal for the antenna array; obtaining characteristic information about the antenna array on the basis of a phase difference or gain difference between one transmission path having the first stream and one reception path having the second stream, obtained for each of the measured RF paths among the plurality of first RF paths; and based on the characteristic information, performing calibration for the plurality of first RF paths.

Description

Apparatus and method for compensating for errors in a wireless communication system

BACKGROUND This disclosure relates generally to a wireless communication system, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for compensating for an error in a wireless communication system.

Efforts are being made to develop an improved ^5th generation ( ^5G ) communication system or a pre-5G communication system in order to meet the increasing demand for wireless data traffic after commercialization of the 4G (4th generation) communication system. For this reason, the 5G communication system or the pre-5G communication system is called a 4G network after (Beyond 4G Network) communication system or an LTE (Long Term Evolution) system after (Post LTE) system.

In order to achieve high data rates, 5G communication systems are being considered for implementation in very high frequency (mmWave) bands (eg, 28 gigabytes (28 GHz), 60 gigabytes (60 GHz) bands). In order to alleviate the path loss of radio waves and increase the propagation distance of radio waves in the ultra-high frequency band, in the 5G communication system, beamforming, massive MIMO, and Full Dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO) are used. ), array antenna, analog beam-forming, and large scale antenna technologies are being discussed.

In addition, for network improvement of the system, in the 5G communication system, an evolved small cell, an advanced small cell, a cloud radio access network (cloud radio access network, cloud RAN), an ultra-dense network (ultra-dense network) , Device to Device communication (D2D), wireless backhaul, moving network, cooperative communication, Coordinated Multi-Points (CoMP), and reception interference cancellation (interference cancellation) Technology development is underway.

In addition, in the 5G system, Hybrid Frequency Shift Keying and Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (FQAM) and Sliding Window Superposition Coding (SWSC), which are advanced coding modulation (Advanced Coding Modulation, ACM) methods, and Filter Bank Multi Carrier (FBMC), an advanced access technology, ), Non Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA), and Sparse Code Multiple Access (SCMA) are being developed.

In order to improve communication performance, products equipped with multiple antennas are being developed, and it is expected that equipment with a much larger number of antennas will be used by using Massive MIMO technology. Since a gain error or a phase error may occur between chains in a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) as the number of antenna elements increases in a communication device, a method for calibrating this error measures are required

Based on the above discussion, the present disclosure provides an apparatus and method for controlling gain and phase error in a wireless communication system.

In addition, the present disclosure provides a calibration circuit for improving the efficiency of 5G RFIC in a wireless communication system.

In addition, the present disclosure proposes an apparatus and method for self-compensating an error by measuring a gain and a phase through a connection between a transmission path and a reception path in a wireless communication system.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, in a wireless communication system, in an electronic device, a plurality of first radio frequency (RF) paths related to a processor, an antenna array, and a first stream , each of the first RF paths includes a transmit path and a receive path, a plurality of second RF paths associated with a second stream, each of the second RF paths includes a transmit path and a receive path, and the processor One transmit path with the first stream and the second stream, which generate a calibration signal for the antenna array, and are obtained for each of the measurement RF paths among the plurality of first RF paths A process of obtaining characteristic information about the antenna array based on a phase difference or a gain difference between one reception path having can be configured to include.

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, in a method of operating an electronic device in a wireless communication system, a process of generating a calibration signal for an antenna array, the antenna array includes a first stream ( stream) connected to a plurality of first radio frequency (RF) paths and a plurality of second RF paths associated with a second stream, each of the first RF paths including a transmit path and a receive path, Each of the 2 RF paths includes a transmit path and a receive path, and includes one transmit path having the first stream and the second stream, obtained for each of the measurement RF paths among the plurality of first RF paths. A process of acquiring characteristic information about the antenna array based on a phase difference or a gain difference between one reception path, and a process of performing calibration on the plurality of first RF paths based on the characteristic information may include

An apparatus and method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure measure a gain and a phase through a connection between a transmit path and a receive path having different polarizations, thereby providing gain error and phase in a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC). error can be compensated.

In addition, the apparatus and method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may compensate for a gain error and a phase error in real time during operation by sequentially measuring a gain and a phase through a connection of a transmission path and a reception path having different polarizations. have.

In addition, the apparatus and method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may achieve miniaturization of a product by compensating for a gain error and a phase error in an RFIC without a separate calibration circuit.

Effects obtainable in the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned may be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs from the description below. will be.

1A illustrates a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
1B illustrates a phased-array antenna according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
2 illustrates an example of polarization-based calibration in a phased array antenna according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
3 illustrates an example of sequential polarization-based calibration according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
4 illustrates an example of a circuit structure of polarization-based calibration according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
5 illustrates an operation of an electronic device according to sequential polarization-based calibration according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
6 is a diagram for explaining an operation principle according to sequential polarization-based calibration according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
7 is a diagram illustrating performance according to sequential polarization-based calibration according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
8 illustrates an operation of an electronic device according to joint polarization-based calibration according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
9 illustrates a functional configuration of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Terms used in the present disclosure are used only to describe specific embodiments, and may not be intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. The singular expression may include the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art described in the present disclosure. Among the terms used in the present disclosure, terms defined in a general dictionary may be interpreted with the same or similar meaning as the meaning in the context of the related art, and unless explicitly defined in the present disclosure, ideal or excessively formal meanings is not interpreted as In some cases, even terms defined in the present disclosure cannot be construed to exclude embodiments of the present disclosure.

In various embodiments of the present disclosure described below, a hardware access method will be described as an example. However, since various embodiments of the present disclosure include technology using both hardware and software, various embodiments of the present disclosure do not exclude a software-based approach.

Terms that refer to circuits of electronic devices used in the following description (eg, PCB, FPCB, signal line, feeding line, data line, RF signal line, antenna line, RF path, RF module, RF circuit) ), terms referring to electronic components (e.g., processors, chips, components, devices), terms referring to switches, terms referring to RF components (RF chain, radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), RF unit), Terms that refer to antennas (eg, antenna module, antenna element, antenna, antenna circuit), terms that refer to the shape of parts (eg, structures, structures, supports, contacts, protrusions, openings), and connections between structures Terms (eg, a connection part, a contact part, a support part, a contact structure, a conductive member, an assembly), etc. are exemplified for convenience of description. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not limited to the terms described below, and other terms having equivalent technical meanings may be used. In addition, terms such as '... part', '... group', '... water', and '... body' used below mean at least one shape structure or a unit for processing a function. can mean

In addition, in the present disclosure, in order to determine whether a specific condition is satisfied or satisfied, an expression of greater than or less than may be used, but this is only a description for expressing an example. It's not about exclusion. Conditions described as 'more than' may be replaced with 'more than', conditions described as 'less than', and conditions described as 'more than and less than' may be replaced with 'more than and less than'.

In addition, although the present disclosure describes various embodiments using terms used in some communication standards (eg, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)), this is only an example for description. Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be easily modified and applied in other communication systems.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure relates to a calibration method in a wireless communication system and an electronic device performing the same. Specifically, the present disclosure provides efficient gain error and phase in a phased-array RFIC (RFIC) by combining RF paths having different polarizations in a wireless communication system and performing calibration sequentially or jointly. An apparatus and method for performing calibration according to an error are provided. Hereinafter, in the present disclosure, RFIC is described as a phased array RFIC including a phase shifter in each RF chain, but other terms having the same technical meaning may be substituted. For example, the RFIC may be referred to as an RF phased-array transceiver IC or a phased-array IC.

1A illustrates a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. 1A illustrates a base station 110 , a terminal 120 , and a terminal 130 as some of nodes using a wireless channel in a wireless communication system. 1A shows only one base station, other base stations that are the same as or similar to the base station 110 may be further included.

The base station 110 is a network infrastructure that provides a wireless connection to the terminal 120 . The base station 110 has coverage defined as a certain geographic area based on a distance capable of transmitting a signal. In addition to the base station (base station), mmWave (millimeter wave) equipment, 'access point (AP)', 'eNodeB (eNodeB)', '5G node (5th generation node)', ' 5G node ratio (5G NodeB, NB)', 'wireless point', 'transmission/reception point (TRP)', 'access unit', 'distributed unit (DU)' )', 'transmission/reception point (TRP)', 'radio unit (RU), MMU (multiple input multiple output (MMU) unit), remote radio head (RRH) or It may be referred to as another term having an equivalent technical meaning. The base station 110 may transmit a downlink signal or receive an uplink signal.

The terminal 120 is a device used by a user and performs communication with the base station 110 through a wireless channel. In some cases, the terminal 120 may be operated without the user's involvement. That is, the terminal 120 is a device that performs machine type communication (MTC) and may not be carried by a user. The terminal 120 includes 'user equipment (UE)', 'mobile station', 'subscriber station', 'customer premises equipment (CPE)' other than a terminal. , 'remote terminal', 'wireless terminal', 'electronic device', or 'vehicle (vehicle) terminal', 'user device' or equivalent technical It may be referred to by other terms that have a meaning.

The terminal 120 and the terminal 120 illustrated in FIG. 1A may support vehicle communication. In the case of vehicle communication, standardization work for V2X technology based on device-to-device (D2D) communication structure in LTE system has been completed in 3GPP Release 14 and Release 15, and V2X technology based on current 5G NR Efforts to develop are underway. NR V2X supports unicast communication, groupcast (or multicast) communication, and broadcast communication between the UE and the UE.

The polarization-based calibration circuit structure and calibration operation described in the embodiments of the present disclosure describe the operation and configuration of the invention in the base station, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. The structure of the polarization-based calibration circuit proposed in the present disclosure and equipment including the same may be implemented in the terminal as well as the base station. That is, embodiments of the present disclosure may be used not only for downlink transmission of the base station, but also uplink transmission of the terminal and sidelink communication of the terminal.

1B illustrates a phased-array antenna according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The phased array antenna refers to an antenna in which an RF chain including a phase shifter is connected to each of the antenna elements in order to control a phase of each of the antenna elements included in the antenna array.

Referring to FIG. 1B , the phased array antenna 150 includes a plurality of RF chains 160 - 1 to 160 -N. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the components and functions of the components of the RF chain 160-1 are described, but this is for convenience of description, and other RF chains (eg, RF chains 160-2 to 160- The configurations of N)) may also perform the same or similar functions as those of the RF chain 160-1.

The mixer 160-1-1 may convert a center frequency of an input signal and output a signal having the converted center frequency. For example, the mixer 160-1-1 may convert an intermediate frequency (IF) signal into an RF signal or convert an RF signal into an IF signal. Here, the frequency of the RF signal is expressed as the sum of the frequency of the IF signal and the frequency of the local oscillator (LO) signal. Conversely, the frequency of the IF signal is expressed as the result of subtracting the frequency of the LO signal from the frequency of the RF signal. can be To this end, the mixer 160-1-1 may be connected to the LO.

The phase shifters 160-1-3 may convert the phase of the input signal and output a signal having the converted phase. For example, the phase converters 160 - 1-3 may lag the phase of the input signal or advance the phase of the input signal. One phase code among a plurality of phase codes may be set in the phase converters 160 - 1 - 3 . Each of the plurality of phase codes may correspond to one of the phases in the range of 0 degrees to 360 degrees, and each of the different phase codes may correspond to each of the different phases. For example, when the available phase codes that can be set in the phase shifters 160-1-3 are 0 to 15 (ie, 16) in decimal, the phase corresponding to the phase code n is 2π/16 xn. The above-described number of phase codes and a method of correspondence between phase codes and phases are exemplary, and various modifications are possible. When a specific phase code is set in the phase converter 160-1-3, the phase converter 160-1-3 sets the phase of the signal input to the phase converter 160-1-3 to a phase corresponding to the set phase code. can be changed to , and a signal of the changed phase can be output. The phase code may be set in the phase converter 160-1-3 by a control signal for the phase converter 160-1-3, and the phase code set in the phase converter 160-1-3 is 160-1-3) can be changed to another phase code by the control signal. According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the phase code may also be referred to as a phase value or a phase shifter code (PS code). Also, setting a phase code in a phase shifter (eg, phase shifter 160-1-3) is understood as setting a phase code in an RF chain (eg, RF chain 160-1) that contains the phase shifter. can be

The amplifier 160-1-5 may amplify the input signal. The amplifier 160-1-5 may provide the amplified signal to the radiator 160-1-7. The radiator 160-1-7 may convert an input electrical signal into an electromagnetic wave and radiate the electromagnetic wave into a free space.

Signal 170-1 is RF through mixer 160-1-1, phase converter 160-1-3, amplifier 160-1-5 and radiating element 160-1-7 RF is transmitted from the chain 160-1, or via a radiating element 160-1-7, an amplifier 160-1-5, a phase converter 160-1-3 and a mixer 160-1-1. may be received by the chain 160-1. Similarly, signal 170 - 2 may be transmitted from, or received by, RF chain 160 - 2 , and signal 170 -N is from RF chain 160 -N. It may be transmitted or received by the RF chain 160-N.

If the phases of the signals 170-1 to 170-N transmitted or received by the plurality of RF chains 160-1 to 160-N are the same, the signals 170-1 to 170-N can form a plane wave as a whole. Through the phase control of the signals 170-1 to 170-N transmitted or received by the plurality of RF chains 160-1 to 160-N, the signals 170-1 to 170-N are formed It is possible to increase the beamforming gain in a specific direction. Providing a high gain in a specific direction may be understood as forming a beam (eg, beam 130 ) in a specific direction. When phase codes are set in the RF chains 160-1 to 160-N so that the phases of the signals 170-1 to 170-N are the same, the RF chains 160 to change the direction of the beam to a specific direction Phase codes to be set to -1 to 160-N) may be uniquely determined based on a corresponding direction. Accordingly, the phase codes determined for each direction may be referred to as a phase pattern. When phase codes are set in the RF chains 160 - 1 to 160 -N according to a designated pattern, the communication device including the phased array antenna 150 forms a beam in a desired direction through the phased array antenna 150 . Or, you can steer the beam.

In the frequency band for 5G communication, beamforming/beam steering using a multi-chain RF phased-array element to maximize high transmit equivalent isotropic radiated power (EIRP) and receive sensitivity technology is used At this time, due to deviations between semiconductor processes, deviations that may occur during assembly of components, and design problems, errors (gain and phase) between each chain in the phased array RFIC error) may occur. These errors include a decrease in TX/RX total gain, total Tx power (TRP), equivalent isotropic radiation power (EIRP), a decrease in RX sensitivity, and a decrease in the beam direction. It causes errors, deformation of the beam shape, and reduced deterioration of the side-lobe.

It is possible to analyze the gain and phase characteristics of a path (eg, a channel) with the help of a separate device outside the phased array RFIC, but it takes a lot of time, high measurement cost, and real-time compensation during operation There are difficulties in Therefore, a circuit configuration and device capable of relatively or absolutely detecting the gain and phase characteristics of each path in the phased array RFIC are required, and through this structure, each The path needs to be compensated.

The present disclosure proposes an apparatus and method for relatively detecting the gain and phase characteristics of an RF chain or path (eg, a channel) inside a phased array RFIC in order to solve the above-described problem. RF phased-array transceiver IC implements independent dual polarization path (or dual stream) in one RFIC (eg, 2x4 arrays, 2x8 arrays, 2x16 arrays), and two independent It may have a path for an input or output signal (eg, radio frequency (RF) or intermediate frequency (IF)) of . One path among the transmit/receive paths configured in a plurality of RF chains of independent paths in paths for two polarizations of one RFIC may be defined as a reference path, and based on the reference path, sequential ( sequential) to detect errors in the paths. Through this, by relatively detecting the gain and phase characteristics in the RF phased-array transceiver IC, the communication device can compensate the characteristics of each path of the RF phased-array transceiver IC. Through this calibration, the communication device may maximize the performance of the RF phased-array transceiver IC. A connection method at an RF front-end (RF FE) end for connection between adjacent paths, a coupling (eg, capacitive coupling, resistive coupling) method and direct connection ) method, an algorithm for error detection, an application method to which a polarization-based calibration structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied, and combinations thereof may be included as embodiments of the present disclosure.

Prior to a description of polarization-based calibration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of performing calibration in an existing multiple phased-array circuit/antenna is as follows. For example, a multi-phased array circuit may receive a signal transmitted from an antenna array through one receiving antenna and an instrument (this may be referred to as a far field), and based on the received information, The gain and phase of each RF chain can be analyzed and calibration can be performed. However, this method has a disadvantage in that the physical scale of the measurement system increases as the far field is configured and calibration can be performed through this method, and calibration cannot be performed in real time while operating a multi-phased array circuit, and the surrounding environment There is a disadvantage in that it is difficult to apply due to changes in temperature (eg, temperature change, equipment change, air environment change, number of chains and RFICs, aging of parts, etc.). In addition, for another example, the near field characteristics of the antenna by applying it to a plurality of circuits or independent multi-stream paths in order to solve the point that errors for gain and phase cannot be detected during operation according to the method There is a method of transmitting and receiving a signal using , and performing calibration by analyzing the signal. This method has the advantage that it can be applied immediately during operation, but it is difficult to analyze the characteristics of the near field between RFIC or stream paths, and the characteristics of the frequency spectrum are not constant between cross-polarizations. There may be difficulties. In order to overcome the disadvantages of the existing methods, in the present disclosure, by performing polarization-based calibration, it is possible to compensate for a gain error and a phase error in real time during operation, and to achieve miniaturization of products such as RFICs and electronic devices including the same. Possible devices and methods are described.

2 illustrates an example of polarization-based calibration in a phased array antenna according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The configuration of the calibration circuit 200 shown in FIG. 2 is merely an example for convenience of description, and the structure of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the calibration circuit 200 may include a first stream path 210 and a second stream path 230 . A first stream path 210 may transmit and receive a first signal having a first polarization, and a second stream path 230 may transmit/receive a second signal having a second polarization. can For example, when the first polarized wave has a polarization of +45°, the second polarized wave may be formed to have a polarization of -45°. Here, the components for the first polarization and the second polarization may be understood as a co-polarization component. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the first signal having the first polarization and the second signal having the second polarization may be formed of the same signal. In addition, the polarization as described above may mean a data stream or a stream. Hereinafter, the word polarization described in the present disclosure may be understood as a data stream or stream, and does not mean that the present disclosure is limited thereto.

Also, the first stream path 210 and the second stream path 230 may mean independent input/output paths. For example, the first stream path 210 may mean a path for transmission, and the second stream path 230 may mean a path for reception. For another example, the second stream path 230 may mean a path for transmission, and the first RF path 210 may mean a path for reception.

According to an embodiment, the first stream path 210 may include a plurality of RF paths connected through a combiner, and the second stream path 230 may include a plurality of RF paths. For example, the first stream path 210 may include a first RF path 210-1 to an N-th RF path 210-N (in this case, N is a positive integer of 2 or more), The two-stream path 230 may include a first RF path 230-1 to an N-th RF path 230-N (in this case, N is a positive integer of 2 or more). Also, each of the RF paths may include a transmit path and a receive path. For example, the first RF path 210 - 1 of the first stream path 210 may include a transmit path 210 - 1 - 1 and a receive path 210 - 1 - 2 . Also, for example, the first RF path 230-1 of the second stream path 230 may include a transmission path 230-1-1 and a reception path 230-1-2. Here, the transmission path may be referred to as a transmission channel, and the reception path may be referred to as a reception channel.

According to an embodiment, one RF path may include a plurality of RF components. For example, the first RF path 210-1 of the first stream path 210 is an attenuator (attn), a phase shifter (PS), at least one transmit/receive switch (TRX switch, TRX SW), a power amplifier (PA), and a low noise amplifier (LNA). Here, the transmission path 210-1-1 included in the first RF path 210-1 may include an attenuator, a phase converter, at least one transmission/reception switch, and a power amplifier, and the reception path 210-1 - 1 2) may include an attenuator, a phase converter, at least one transmit/receive switch, and a low-noise amplifier. Each of the plurality of RF paths 210-2 to 210-N or 230-2 to 230-N included in the first stream path 210 and the second stream path 230 includes RF components as described above. can be composed of However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and is merely an example for convenience of description. For example, each RF path may or may not further include other RF components.

According to an embodiment, one transmission path among the first stream paths 210 and one reception path among the second stream paths 230 may be electrically connected. For example, among the transmission path 210-1-1 of the first RF path 210-1 of the first stream path 210 and the first RF path 230-1 of the second stream path 230 It may be electrically connected to the reception path 230-1-2. Also, for example, among the second RF paths 210-2 of the first stream path 210 , the transmission path 210-2 - 1 and the first RF path 230-1 of the second stream path 230 . The heavy receiving paths 230-1-2 may be electrically connected. Also, for example, among the second RF paths 210-2 of the first stream path 210 , the transmission path 210-2 - 1 and the second RF path 230 - 2 of the second stream path 230 . The medium reception path 230-2-2 may be electrically connected. As the above-described structure, the transmission path 210-N-1 of the N-th RF path 210-N of the first stream path 210 and the N-th RF path 230- of the second stream path 230 - Among N), the reception paths 230 -N-2 may be electrically connected. Also, a reception path of one of the first stream paths 210 and a transmission path of the second stream path 230 may be electrically connected. For example, among the first RF path 210 - 1 of the first stream path 210 , the reception path 210 - 1 - 2 and the first RF path 230 - 1 of the second stream path 230 . The transmission paths 230 - 1 - 1 may be electrically connected. Also, for example, among the second RF paths 210 - 2 of the first stream path 210 , the reception path 210 - 2 - 2 and the first RF path 230-1 of the second stream path 230 . The heavy transmission paths 230 - 1 - 1 may be electrically connected. Also, for example, among the second RF paths 210 - 2 of the first stream path 210 , the reception path 210 - 2 - 1 and the second RF path 230 - 2 of the second stream path 230 . The heavy transmission paths 230 - 2 - 1 may be electrically connected. As the above-described structure, among the N-th RF path 210-N of the first stream path 210 , the reception path 210-N-2 and the N-th RF path 230- of the second stream path 230 - Among N), the transmission paths 230 -N-1 may be electrically connected. As described above, a transmission or reception path of one stream path (eg, the first stream path 210 ) and a reception or transmission path of another RF path (eg, the second stream path 230 ) adjacent to each other are sequential. (sequential) can be connected. In this case, a connection structure for sequentially connecting different paths may include a transmission line and at least one switch. Details of the connection structure will be described with reference to FIG. 4 below.

According to an embodiment, the connection between one transmission path of the first stream path 210 and one reception path of the second stream path 230 may mean a connection between points on the RF path. For example, among the first RF path 210-1 of the first stream path 210, the output terminal of the power amplifier on the transmission path 210-1-1 and the second stream path 230 One of the RF paths 230 - 1 may be connected to an input terminal of a low noise amplifier on the reception path 230 - 1 - 2 . In addition, a connection between a reception path of one of the first stream paths 210 and a transmission path of the second stream path 230 may mean a connection between points on an RF path. For example, among the first RF path 210-1 of the first stream path 210, the input terminal of the low-noise amplifier on the reception path 210-1-2 and the first RF path ( 230-1), the output terminal of the power amplifier on the transmission path 230-1-1 may be connected. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. As described above, it refers to a connection between points on an RF path, and one transmission path and one reception path may be electrically connected.

When the polarization-based calibration circuit 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is included, a relative gain and a phase difference between two adjacent RF paths may be obtained. According to an embodiment, the calibration circuit 200 sequentially performs all other RF paths based on one reference RF path (eg, the first RF path 210-1 of the first stream path 210). (sequential) can be analyzed. Also, according to another embodiment, the calibration circuit 200 may jointly analyze all RF paths by applying a gain and a phase orthogonal to a modulation signal. The polarization-based calibration circuit 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can perform calibration in real time during operation, and has a structure for sequentially connecting RF paths disposed inside the phased array RFIC, changing the environment around the bar (eg : It can be applied regardless of temperature change, equipment change, air and environmental change, aging of parts). In addition, the calibration circuit 200 can be applied without changing the condition for the load of the transmitter and the condition for the source of the receiver, so that it can be configured with minimal changes to the existing circuit. In addition, a non-linear transmission phased array system characteristic is received from a reception path having a linear characteristic, and the modulation (eg, AM-AM, AM-PM) characteristic of the transmission path is obtained as a closed loop. It can be analyzed in real time through , so it can be applied to digital predistortion. Hereinafter, a sequential calibration process of the calibration circuit 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

3 illustrates an example of sequential polarization-based calibration according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Sequential polarization-based calibration means that a transmission or reception path of a first stream path having a specific polarization and a reception or transmission path of a second stream path are sequentially connected to each other to form a plurality of independent loops, It refers to a calibration process that detects and corrects characteristics (eg, gain and phase) of a transmit path and a receive path of each loop by sequentially inputting and outputting signals to each loop. The advantage of performing sequential polarization-based calibration is that independent paths are used, so no additional circuitry (eg, IQ detector, analog/digital detection circuit) in the RFIC is required, and the performance of the circuit in operation is greatly affected. may not give In addition, since a separate external device for analyzing the characteristics of the paths is not required, the size of the RFIC and the electronic device can be reduced.

The calibration circuit 300 of FIG. 3 may be understood the same as the calibration circuit 200 of FIG. 2 . For example, in the calibration circuit 300 of step 301 , the transmission path 310-1-1 may be understood to be the same as the transmission path 210-1-1 of the calibration circuit 200 of FIG. 2 . have. Hereinafter, in FIG. 3 , a description overlapping with FIG. 2 will be omitted.

The operation process of the sequential calibration of the electronic device including the calibration circuit 300 is as follows. Referring to step 301 , a test signal may be applied through a first stream path of the calibration circuit 300 , and an output for the input test signal may be obtained through a second stream path. Here, the test signal may mean any signal whose characteristics (eg, amplitude, phase, etc.) are already known. The electronic device determines the gain and phase characteristics of the transmission path 310-1-1 among the first RF paths of the first stream path and the reception path 330-1-2 among the first RF paths of the second stream path. can be obtained In this case, the transmission path 310-1-1 of the first stream path and the reception path 330-1-2 of the second stream path may be determined as reference paths. Here, the reference path may refer to a reference path for detecting errors with respect to gain and phase characteristics of other paths.

In step 302 , in the same manner as in step 301 , the electronic device performs the transmission path 310-2-1 among the second RF paths of the first stream path and the reception path among the first RF paths of the second stream path. You can measure the gain and phase of (330-1-2). In addition, among the reference paths obtained in step 301 , the reception path 330-1-2 may be a common path, and based on the reception path 330-1-2, the first RF path of the first stream path Characteristics (eg, gain and phase) of the transmission path 310-1-1 and the transmission path 310-2-1 of the second RF path may be separated. At this time, the transmission path 310-1-1 is the reference path obtained in step 301, and the transmission path 310-1-1 of the first RF path of the first stream path and the second RF path are A difference between the characteristics of the transmission paths 310 - 2 - 1 may mean an error value. An error value obtained through a subsequent calibration process may be compensated. Also, in step 303 , the sperm device is configured to transmit path 310-2-1 of the second RF path of the first stream path and receive path 310-2-2 of the second RF path of the second stream path. can measure the gain and phase of In addition, based on the transmission path 310-2-1 of the second RF path of the first stream path obtained in step 302, the reception path 330-1- of the first RF path of the second stream path 2) and the characteristics (eg, gain and phase) of the reception path 330-2-2 of the second RF chain may be separated. At this time, the transmission path 310-2-1 is a path obtained through steps 301 and 302 and is a path whose error is known by reference paths, and thus the first RF path of the second stream path. A difference between the characteristics of the reception path 330-1-2 of , and the reception path 330-2-2 of the second RF path may mean an error value. An error value obtained through a subsequent calibration process may be compensated. By sequentially performing error detection with respect to the paths of the other RF paths in steps 301 to 303 as described above, the electronic device can obtain gain errors and phase errors for all RF paths, and obtain The error may be corrected by performing calibration based on the obtained error.

4 illustrates an example of a circuit structure of polarization-based calibration according to embodiments of the present disclosure. 4 illustrates a connection structure of a polarization-based calibration circuit according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The calibration circuit 400 of FIG. 4 may be understood the same as the calibration circuit 200 of FIG. 2 . For example, the first RF path 410 - 1 of the first stream path of the calibration circuit 400 may be understood as the same as the first RF path 210 - 1 of the first stream path of the calibration circuit 200 . can Hereinafter, in FIG. 4 , a description overlapping with FIG. 2 will be omitted.

Referring to the calibration circuit 400 , a transmission or reception path of one stream path (eg, a first stream path) is connected to a reception or transmission path of another stream path (eg, a second stream path) by a connection structure. can be electrically connected. Specifically, the connection structure may include an indirect connection structure 460 that is indirectly connected by a coupling or a direct connection structure 480 that is directly connected through a via.

Referring to the drawing 450 , the indirect connection structure 460 may include a transmission line and at least one switch. According to an embodiment, the transmission line of the indirect connection structure 460 includes a transmission path (eg, transmission path 410-1-1) and a reception path (eg, reception path 430-1-2) for connecting. By being disposed in an adjacent area of , capacitance due to coupling may be formed, and accordingly, the transmission path and the reception path may be electrically connected. In addition, at least one switch may be connected to the transmission line in a series, parallel, or a mixed method of series and parallel. For example, when the indirect connection structure 460 includes only one switch, the switch may be connected in parallel or in series with the transmission line. For another example, when the indirect connection structure 460 includes two or more switches, some of the switches may be connected in series, and other portions of the switches may be connected to the transmission line in parallel. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may change a mode through at least one switch included in the indirect connection structure 460 . For example, when at least one switch is off, the electronic device may transmit/receive an RF signal processed by the phased array RFIC to/from another electronic device. Also, for example, when at least one switch is on, the electronic device may detect errors in gain and phase of RF paths inside the phased array RFIC, and correct errors in the RF paths based on the detected errors. )can do.

Alternatively, referring to the drawing 470 , the direct connection structure 480 may include a transmission line, at least one switch, and at least one via or a conductive member (eg, a metal line). line)) may be included. According to an embodiment, the transmission line of the direct connection structure 480 includes a transmission path (eg, transmission path 410-1-1) and a reception path (eg, reception path 430-1-2) for connection. can be directly connected through vias. According to another embodiment, the transmission line of the direct connection structure 480 includes a transmission path (eg, transmission path 410-1-1) for connection and a reception path (eg, reception path 430-1-2). ) may be directly connected through a conductive member (eg, a metal line). In addition, at least one switch may be connected to the transmission line in a series, parallel, or a mixed method of series and parallel. For example, when the direct connection structure 480 includes only one switch, the switch may be connected in parallel or in series with the transmission line. For another example, when the direct connection structure 480 includes two or more switches, some of the switches may be connected in series, and other portions of the switches may be connected to the transmission line in parallel. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may change a mode through at least one switch included in the direct connection structure 480 . For example, when at least one switch is off, the electronic device may transmit/receive an RF signal processed by the phased array RFIC to/from another electronic device. Also, for example, when at least one switch is on, the electronic device may detect errors in gain and phase of RF paths inside the phased array RFIC, and correct errors in the RF paths through the detected errors. can do.

In FIG. 4, a transmission or reception path of one stream path (eg, a first stream path) is an indirect connection structure ( 460) and the direct connection structure 480 have been separately described. However, the polarization-based calibration circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure does not mean that each connection structure can be independently connected. For example, in some RF paths of the polarization-based calibration circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a transmission path and a reception path may be connected through an indirect connection structure, and in some other RF paths, a direct connection structure may be used. For another example, in the process of connecting one reception path and one transmission path, one point may be connected through an indirect connection structure, and another point may be connected through a direct connection structure.

5 illustrates an operation of an electronic device according to sequential polarization-based calibration according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating sequential calibration of paths in the electronic device including the calibration circuit 200 of FIG. 2 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , according to an embodiment, in step 501 , the electronic device may set a phase and a gain of a path. That is, the electronic device may set phases and gains for all paths for which state measurement is desired. Here, the path may mean paths that are a target of state measurement. For example, referring to FIG. 2 , a path may mean at least some of transmission paths and reception paths included in the first stream path and the second stream path.

In step 503, the electronic device may detect a loop-back signal. In other words, the electronic device applies a test signal to the transmitter (eg, the first stream path or the second stream path) by sequentially activating the loopback path (ie, at least one switch of the connection structure is turned on). Accordingly, a loopback signal output to a receiving end (eg, a second stream path or a first stream path that is a path determined corresponding to the transmitting end) through the loopback path may be detected. Here, the loopback path may mean a path in which a transmission path and a reception path are connected. For example, referring to FIG. 2 , the loopback path may mean a loop in which a transmission path among the first RF paths of the first stream path and a reception path among the first RF paths of the second stream path are connected.

In step 505 , the electronic device may detect an error of each path. The electronic device may detect an error of each path based on the phase and gain values for each path set in operation 501 and the loopback signal and test signal detected in operation 503 . In this case, a method for detecting the error will be described with reference to FIG. 6 .

In operation 507, the electronic device may perform path calibration. That is, the electronic device may perform the calibration of the paths based on the arbitrarily determined reference path, based on the error value for each path extracted in step 505 . Here, the reference path may mean a path serving as a reference for determining the degree of error with respect to characteristics (eg, gain, phase) of other paths.

6 is a diagram for explaining an operation principle according to sequential polarization-based calibration according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a simplified diagram of the structure of FIG. 2 in order to explain a method for the electronic device to detect an error of each path in step 505 of FIG. 5 .

Referring to FIG. 6 , the calibration circuit 600 may include a first stream path 610 and a second stream path 630 . In this case, the first stream path 610 may mean a transmitting end (or an input end), and the second stream path 630 may mean a receiving end (or an output end). Accordingly, in FIG. 6 , the first stream path 610 may include a plurality of transmission paths 610-1-1 to 610-N-1, and the second stream path includes a plurality of reception paths 630 . -1-2 to 630-N-2).

According to an embodiment, a test signal s is applied to the first stream path 610 and the applied test signal is transmitted through a specific loopback path (transmission path j, reception path i) to the second stream path. When output to 630, the relation between the output loopback signal y _ij and the transmission path and the reception path included in the specific loopback path is expressed by the following equation.

는 i번째 송신(T) 경로의 오차(error) 값, 상기 y_ij는 테스트 신호(s)가 j번째 송신 경로로부터 지나 i번째 수신 경로를 통과하여 출력된 루프백 신호, 상기

는 i번째 송신(T) 경로의 보정 값을 의미할 수 있다. 예를 들어,

는 테스트 신호(s)가 4번째 송신 경로를 지나 3번째 수신 경로를 통과해 나온 루프백 신호를 의미할 수 있고, 여기서 4번째 송신 경로 및 3번째 수신 경로는 루프백 경로를 의미할 수 있다.remind

is an error value of the i-th transmission (T) path, y _ij is a loopback signal output through the test signal s passing through the j-th transmission path and passing through the i-th reception path, the

may mean a correction value of the i-th transmission (T) path. for example,

may mean a loopback signal from which the test signal s passes through a third reception path through a fourth transmission path, where the fourth transmission path and the third reception path may mean a loopback path.

와 같은 수학식이 도출될 수 있고, 이 때, 기준 경로에 대한 오차 값과 보정 값은 이미 알고 있는 값일 수 있다. 따라서, 2번째 송신 경로에 대한 오차 값 및 보정 값이 결정될 수 있다. 이와 마찬가지로, 3번째 송신 경로에 대한 수학식은

과 같이 도출될 수 있다. 3번째 송신 경로에 대한 오차 값 및 보정 값 또한, 상술한 바와 같이 기준 경로에 기반하여, 결정될 수 있다. 따라서, 귀납적인(inductive) 방법에 따라, N번째 송신 경로에 대한 오차 값 및 보정 값과 관련된 수학식은

과 같이 결정되고, 모든 송신 경로들의 상대적 오차가 검출될 수 있다.Referring to the above equation, the error value and the correction value for each transmission path may be determined by the reference path. For example, if the reference path is determined as the first transmission path,

Equations such as , may be derived, and in this case, the error value and the correction value for the reference path may be known values. Accordingly, an error value and a correction value for the second transmission path may be determined. Similarly, the equation for the third transmission path is

can be derived as An error value and a correction value for the third transmission path may also be determined based on the reference path as described above. Therefore, according to an inductive method, the equations related to the error value and the correction value for the Nth transmission path are

is determined as , and the relative error of all transmission paths can be detected.

In the same way as the equation for the transmission path, the equation for the receive path is summarized as the following equation.

는 i번째 수신(R) 경로의 오차(error) 값, 상기 y_ij는 테스트 신호(s)가 j번째 송신 경로로부터 지나 i번째 수신 경로를 통과하여 출력된 루프백 신호, 상기

는 i번째 수신(R) 경로의 보정 값을 의미할 수 있다.remind

is an error value of the i-th reception (R) path, y _ij is a loopback signal output from the test signal s passing through the j-th transmission path and passing through the i-th reception path, the

may mean a correction value of the i-th reception (R) path.

In the same way as described in <Equation 1>, relative errors for all reception paths may be detected by Equation 2 based on the previously determined reference path.

Based on the above-described equations, the electronic device may detect an error for each path in step 505 . Also, based on the detected error, the electronic device may perform calibration for each path in step 507 .

7 is a diagram illustrating performance according to sequential polarization-based calibration according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 7 , when the calibration circuit 200 of FIG. 2 includes 16 transmission paths, the phase of each transmission path after the electronic device including the calibration circuit 200 performs calibration through the method of FIG. 5 . This is shown.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the horizontal axis of the graph 700 indicates the number of transmission paths, and the vertical axis of the graph 700 indicates the phase (unit: degree) of the transmission paths. The graph 700 shows that when the initial phase values of 16 transmission paths are set to 0°, a first line 701 indicating a phase error of each transmission path, polarization-based calibration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is performed. A second line 703 representing the phase error of each subsequent transmission path is shown. The phase resolution of a phase shifter (eg, a 4-bit phase shifter) disposed inside the calibration circuit used in the graph 700 is 22.5°, including such a phase shifter The error tolerance of a system (eg, a calibration circuit or an electronic device including the same) will be described based on 11.25°. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and when a phase converter of different bits is used, an error tolerance range may vary. For example, for a system using a 6-bit phase shifter, the error tolerance can be smaller.

Referring to the first line 701 , the first transmission path has a phase error of 0° as a bar corresponding to the reference path. In contrast, the phase error values of the other transmission paths represent values of about 5° to 30°. In particular, the phase error value of the 15th transmission path may be about 30°, and the phase error value of the 16th transmission path may be about 22°. As described above, considering that the allowable range of the phase converter disposed inside the calibration circuit is 11.25°, the first line 701 is acceptable in some transmission paths (eg, the 3rd, 5th transmission paths, etc.) A high error value may be formed within the range, and an error value exceeding the allowable range may be formed in most transmission paths.

Alternatively, referring to the second line 703, the phase error values of the paths corrected by the sequential polarization-based calibration according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be formed within the allowable range (eg, 11.25°) of the phase converter. have. For example, the second line 703 may have a phase error value of about -7° to about 10° in 16 transmission paths.

As described above, the phase error of the transmission paths may be controlled by the sequential polarization-based calibration structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and a method performed therewith. In FIG. 7 , an example of phase error control between transmission paths has been described, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, through calibration, the electronic device may correct at least one of a gain error of transmission paths, a gain error of reception paths, and a phase error of reception paths.

8 illustrates an operation of an electronic device according to joint polarization-based calibration according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Joint polarization-based calibration means that a transmission or reception path of a first stream path having a specific polarization and a reception or transmission path of a second stream path are sequentially connected to each other to form a plurality of independent loops, It refers to a calibration process that detects and corrects characteristics (eg, gain and phase) of the transmit and receive paths of each loop by connecting all loops and simultaneously inputting and outputting signals to all loops. The advantage of performing joint polarization-based calibration is that independent paths are used, so no additional circuitry (eg, IQ detector, analog/digital detection circuit) is required in the RFIC, and the performance of the circuit in operation is greatly affected. may not give In addition, since a separate external device for analyzing the characteristics of the paths is not required, the size of the RFIC and the electronic device can be reduced.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an electronic device including the calibration circuit 200 of FIG. 2, in which the electronic device performs joint (or collectively) calibration with respect to paths. .

Referring to FIG. 8 , in step 801 , the electronic device may apply a test signal to all transmission paths. Here, the test signal may mean any signal whose characteristics (eg, amplitude, phase, etc.) are already known. Specifically, in a state in which all loopback paths are activated (that is, in a state in which a switch of a connection structure for all paths is turned on), the electronic device sets the gain and phase values of all receive paths to any value. After fixing to , a test signal may be jointly applied to all transmission paths.

Thereafter, in step 803 , the electronic device may set a signal having an arbitrary designated phase set for each path to be output. That is, the electronic device may set a signal having a specified phase set for each path to be output by controlling a phase shifter of each transmission path. For example, in the electronic device, a signal having a phase of 30° with respect to a first transmission path, a signal having a phase of 45° with respect to a second transmission path, and a signal having a phase of 60° with respect to an N-th transmission path It is possible to control the phase converter to output .

In operation 805 , the electronic device may detect an error of transmission paths. The electronic device may detect the error of the transmission channels based on the signal output in step 803 and the set phase set information for each path. At this time, the method for detecting the error is to apply gain and phase values to be orthogonal to all transmission paths (eg, 1, 2, 3 ... N-th transmission path), and then each time frame By iteratively detecting (frame), it is possible to detect errors in gain and phase values for all transmission paths.

In operation 807, the electronic device may detect an error of the reception paths. Similar to steps 801 to 805 as described above, the electronic device fixes the values of all transmission paths to arbitrary values, applies a test signal jointly to all reception paths, and phase shifts the respective reception paths. can be set so that a signal having a specified phase set for each reception path is output through this control. Thereafter, the electronic device may detect the error of the reception channels based on the output signal and the set phase set information for each path.

In operation 809 , the electronic device may perform calibration of all paths. Based on the error of the transmission paths detected in step 805 and the error of the reception paths detected in step 807 , the electronic device may perform calibration of all paths, and thus perform correction of all paths. can be done

1A to 8 , a polarization-based calibration structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure and a method performed through such a structure are separately added equipment for the gain and phase of each path within the RF phased-array transceiver IC circuit Self-detection and correction are possible without the need. The polarization-based calibration structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is different from each other through a transmission line with respect to a path (or a dual stream) for dual polarization within one phased array RFIC. It may be configured to connect continuously/sequentially to a transmit path and a receive path of the path for polarization. Accordingly, the gain and phase characteristics of the paths can be detected selectively, selectively or jointly.

A polarization-based calibration structure and a method performed through such a structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure include paths for two independent inputs and outputs through dual polarization (eg, a first stream path, a first 2 stream paths), by sequentially connecting the transmission or reception path of one stream path and the reception or transmission path of the other stream path, there may be a difference compared to conventional techniques. have. For example, the multiple phased-array structure to which the BIST (built-in-self test) is applied overlaps the RF injection signal with the transmission line of the receiving end or the transmitting end for measurement inside or outside the RFIC. It is individually applied to each chain through a coupler that becomes Distinguish between amplitude and phase. The conventional structure can calibrate the gain and phase of each chain based on the amplitude and phase of the acquired signal. However, since this structure is connected to the transmission line of the transmitting or receiving end by coupling, inaccuracy due to the coupling circuit (a signal can be applied asymmetrically to each chain, and the difference in characteristics of each coupler affects the gain characteristics) error) is a problem, and a mis-match of the I/Q mixer itself may also deteriorate the detection characteristics. In contrast, in the polarization-based calibration structure and the method performed through the structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, it is necessary to connect an additional circuit (eg, an I/Q mixer) in order to separate information about the measured signal. There is no such thing, and an asymmetric signal is not applied to each chain, and the same signal is applied sequentially or jointly, thereby minimizing the error.

As another example, the structure in which an I/Q detector is added to the input/output terminals of each chain, an IQ detector is additionally disposed at a common output or input terminal, and an LO signal is applied at the same time is the ratio of each chain. A symmetric signal is not applied, and an error according to the characteristics of the coupler can be resolved. However, there is a problem in that an I/Q detector must be connected to all input and output parts, an additional circuit for I/Q separation is required, and the circuit becomes complicated. On the other hand, in the polarization-based calibration structure and the method performed through the structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, there is no need to connect an additional circuit (eg, an I/Q mixer) in order to separate information about the measured signal. , it is possible to minimize the error since the same signal is applied sequentially or jointly instead of applying an asymmetric signal to each chain. In addition, in the polarization-based calibration structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the size of the RFIC in which the structure is disposed may not be extended.

As another example, a direct λ/4 (where λ means the wavelength of a signal) transmission line and a connection structure by a switch are added to the input and output of each chain, and a calibration block ( There is a technique for measuring the error for the gain and phase of the paths by connecting them to a calibration block). Compared with this structure, in the polarization-based calibration structure and the method performed through the structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, loss (>0.5 dB) due to an additional transmission line may not occur, and a relatively simple circuit The configuration can analyze the gain and phase characteristics of the paths.

In other words, the polarization-based calibration structure and the method performed through the structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure use independent paths of the structure including the dual polarization path, and thus additional circuits (eg, IQ detector, analog /digital detection circuit) is not required and may not significantly affect the performance of the circuit in operation. In addition, the polarization-based calibration structure and the method performed through the structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure can accurately detect the characteristics of each path sequentially or jointly, and analyze the characteristics of the paths. Since a separate external device is not required for this purpose, the size of the RFIC and the electronic device can be reduced.

A polarization-based calibration structure and a method performed through such a structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be used by directly applying to a mm-Wave RF phased-array transceiver IC circuit for 5G communication, beyond 5G, 6G and next generation It can be applied to RFIC circuits and systems. In addition, the polarization-based calibration structure and the method performed through the structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure configure a multi-channel to configure a phased array system for communication circuits and systems (eg: It can also be applied to WLAN in 60GHz band, wireless HD, fixed wireless access or back-haul communication systems in W- or E-band band, phased array systems for D-band 6G, etc.). In addition, the polarization-based calibration structure and the method performed through the structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure configure a multi-channel to configure a phased array system (radar) and a sensor ( sensor) system (eg, car radar series of 24 GHz and 77 GHz bands). In addition, the polarization-based calibration structure and the method performed through the structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure can replace or minimize automatic test equipment (ATE) equipment using built-in test equipment, and the characteristics of the path inside the RFIC can be analyzed, the time for measuring the characteristics of each path can be drastically shortened. In addition, the polarization-based calibration structure and the method performed through the structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may include changes in RFIC performance during operation (eg, external environmental changes such as temperature and medium conditions such as air) or deterioration (eg: Detection and compensation can be performed regardless of component aging (eg, aging).

9 illustrates a functional configuration of an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. The electronic device 910 may be either the base station 110 or the terminal 120 of FIG. 1A . According to an embodiment, the electronic device 910 may be an RFIC antenna device including one or more RF paths in the mmWave band of the base station 110 . Not only the RFIC including the stream paths mentioned with reference to FIGS. 1A to 8 , but also an electronic device including the same are included in embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 9 , an exemplary functional configuration of an electronic device 910 is shown. The electronic device 910 may include an antenna unit 911 , a filter unit 912 , a radio frequency (RF) processing unit 913 , and a control unit 914 .

The antenna unit 911 may include a plurality of antennas. The antenna performs functions for transmitting and receiving signals through a radio channel. The antenna may include a conductor formed on a substrate (eg, a PCB) or a radiator formed of a conductive pattern. The antenna may radiate an up-converted signal on a radio channel or acquire a signal radiated by another device. Each antenna may be referred to as an antenna element or antenna element. In some embodiments, the antenna unit 911 may include an antenna array in which a plurality of antenna elements form an array. The antenna unit 911 may be electrically connected to the filter unit 912 through RF signal lines. The antenna unit 911 may be mounted on a PCB including a plurality of antenna elements. The PCB may include a plurality of RF signal lines connecting each antenna element and the filter of the filter unit 912 . These RF signal lines may be referred to as a feeding network. The antenna unit 911 may provide the received signal to the filter unit 912 or may radiate the signal provided from the filter unit 912 into the air.

The filter unit 912 may perform filtering to transmit a signal of a desired frequency. The filter unit 912 may perform a function for selectively discriminating frequencies by forming resonance. The filter unit 912 may include at least one of a band pass filter, a low pass filter, a high pass filter, and a band reject filter. . That is, the filter unit 912 may include RF circuits for obtaining a signal of a frequency band for transmission or a frequency band for reception. The filter unit 912 according to various embodiments may electrically connect the antenna unit 911 and the RF processing unit 913 .

The RF processing unit 913 may include a plurality of RF paths. The RF path may be a unit of a path through which a signal received through the antenna or a signal radiated through the antenna passes. At least one RF path may be referred to as an RF chain. The RF chain may include a plurality of RF elements. RF components may include amplifiers, mixers, oscillators, DACs, ADCs, and the like. For example, the RF processing unit 913 includes an up converter that up-converts a digital transmission signal of a base band to a transmission frequency, and a DAC that converts the up-converted digital transmission signal into an analog RF transmission signal. (digital-to-analog converter) may be included. The up converter and DAC form part of the transmit path. The transmit path may further include a power amplifier (PA) or a coupler (or combiner). Also, for example, the RF processing unit 913 includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that converts an analog RF reception signal into a digital reception signal and a down converter that converts the digital reception signal into a baseband digital reception signal. ) may be included. The ADC and downconverter form part of the receive path. The receive path may further include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) or a coupler (or a divider). RF components of the RF processing unit may be implemented on a PCB. The electronic device 910 may include a structure in which the antenna unit 911 - the filter unit 912 - the RF processing unit 913 are stacked in this order. The antennas and RF components of the RF processing unit may be implemented on a PCB, and filters may be repeatedly fastened between the PCB and the PCB to form a plurality of layers.

The RF processing unit 913 according to various embodiments may include a plurality of RF processing chains for a plurality of signal paths transmitted to the antenna unit 911 and the filter unit 912 . An RFIC for mmWave may include multiple RF processing chains. A signal applied in the baseband is input to the RFIC. A signal input to the RFIC is distributed to each antenna element. In this case, for beamforming, an independent phase shift may be applied to each of the antenna elements. Accordingly, the RFIC may include RF processing chains for processing a signal to be delivered to each antenna element. Each RF processing chain may include one or more RF components for RF signal processing. The RF processing unit 913 may include a polarization-based calibration structure according to embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, when the RF processing unit 913 includes two paths in consideration of double polarization (eg, a first stream path and a second stream path), it is disposed on one transmission path of the first stream path. It may include a connection structure connecting the output terminal of the power amplifier and the input terminal of the low noise amplifier disposed on one receiving path of the second stream path. Also, for example, it may include a connection structure connecting the input end of the low-noise amplifier disposed on one reception path of the first stream path and the output end of the power amplifier disposed on one transmission path of the second stream path.

The controller 914 may control overall operations of the electronic device 910 . The control unit 914 may include various modules for performing communication. The controller 914 may include at least one processor such as a modem. The controller 914 may include modules for digital signal processing. For example, the controller 914 may include a modem. During data transmission, the control unit 914 generates complex symbols by encoding and modulating the transmitted bit stream. Also, for example, when data is received, the controller 914 restores the received bit stream by demodulating and decoding the baseband signal. The controller 914 may perform functions of a protocol stack required by a communication standard. An operation performed by the calibration circuit according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be performed by the controller 914 . For example, steps 501 to 507 of FIG. 5 may be performed by the controller 914 . As another example, steps 801 to 809 of FIG. 8 may be performed by the controller 914 .

In FIG. 9 , the functional configuration of the electronic device 910 is described as equipment that may include the calibration circuit of the present disclosure. However, the example shown in FIG. 9 is only an exemplary configuration for utilizing the polarization-based calibration structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure described through FIGS. 1A to 8 , and embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated in FIG. 9 . It is not limited to the components of the used equipment. Therefore, the RFIC including the polarization-based calibration structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, communication equipment of different configurations, the structure itself, and a method of performing calibration through the structure may also be understood as embodiments of the present disclosure.

In the present disclosure, in order to describe a polarization-based calibration structure and an electronic device including the same, equipment (eg, radio unit (RU) or access unit (AU)) of a base station or a base station for signal transmission of a mmWave band has been described as an example, but this A polarization-based calibration structure according to embodiments of the present disclosure and an electronic device including the same, a wireless device performing an equivalent function to a base station, and a wireless device connected to the base station (eg, TRP) , the terminal 120, or any other communication equipment used for 5G communication is possible, of course.

In an electronic device in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure as described above, a plurality of first radios (RFs) related to a processor, an antenna array, and a first stream frequency) paths, each of the first RF paths comprises a transmit path and a receive path, and a plurality of second RF paths associated with a second stream, each of the second RF paths comprises a transmit path and a receive path and the processor generates a calibration signal for the antenna array, and is obtained for each of the measurement RF paths among the plurality of first RF paths, one transmission path having the first stream; Based on a phase difference or a gain difference between one reception path having the second stream, characteristic information about the antenna array is obtained, and calibration of the plurality of first RF paths is performed based on the characteristic information. It may be configured to include a process for performing.

In an embodiment, the processor may be configured to acquire characteristic information of a corresponding measured RF path according to a calibration signal sequentially applied to each of the measured RF paths.

In an embodiment, the processor may be configured to acquire characteristic information of a corresponding measured RF path according to calibration signals jointly applied to each of the measured RF paths.

In an embodiment, the measurement RF paths are paths other than a transmission path and a reception path corresponding to one stream among the plurality of first RF paths, and the transmission path and reception path corresponding to the one stream are It may be a reference path.

In an embodiment, the phase difference or the gain difference may be a difference between the reference path and the measurement RF paths.

In an embodiment, the processor may be configured to correct the phase difference or the gain difference.

In an embodiment, each of the measurement RF paths may be configured such that one transmission path having the first stream and one reception path having the second stream are connected by a connection structure.

In an embodiment, the connection structure may include a transmission line and at least one switch.

In an embodiment, the at least one switch may be connected in series or parallel with the transmission line.

In an embodiment, the configuration of the measurement RF paths is such that the connection structure directly connects one transmit path with the first stream and one receive path with the second stream through a conductive member or via. It may be configured to connect or indirectly connect through a coupling (coupling).

In the method of operating an electronic device in a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure as described above, the process of generating a calibration signal for an antenna array, the antenna array, connected to a plurality of first radio frequency (RF) paths associated with a first stream and a plurality of second RF paths associated with a second stream, each of the first RF paths including a transmit path and a receive path and one transmit path with the first stream, each of the second RF paths including a transmit path and a receive path, obtained for each of the measurement RF paths among the plurality of first RF paths; A process of obtaining characteristic information about the antenna array based on a phase difference or a gain difference between one reception path having a second stream, and calibration of the plurality of first RF paths based on the characteristic information It may include the process of performing

In an embodiment, the process of acquiring the characteristic information may include acquiring characteristic information of the corresponding measured RF path according to a calibration signal sequentially applied to each of the measured RF paths. .

In an embodiment, the process of acquiring the characteristic information includes a process of acquiring characteristic information on each of the measurement RF paths according to calibration signals jointly applied to the measurement RF paths. may include

In an embodiment, the measurement RF paths are paths other than a transmission path and a reception path corresponding to one stream among the plurality of first RF paths, and the transmission path and reception path corresponding to the one stream are It may be a reference path.

In an embodiment, the phase difference or the gain difference may be a difference between the reference path and the measurement RF paths.

In an embodiment, performing the calibration may include correcting the phase difference or the gain difference.

In an embodiment, each of the measurement RF paths may be configured such that one transmission path having the first stream and one reception path having the second stream are connected by a connection structure.

In an embodiment, the connection structure may include a transmission line and at least one switch.

In an embodiment, the at least one switch may be connected in series or parallel with the transmission line.

In an embodiment, the configuration of the measurement RF paths is such that the connection structure directly connects one transmit path with the first stream and one receive path with the second stream through a conductive member or via. It may be configured to connect or indirectly connect through a coupling (coupling).

Methods according to the embodiments described in the claims or specifications of the present disclosure may be implemented in the form of hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

When implemented in software, a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs (software modules) may be provided. One or more programs stored in the computer-readable storage medium are configured to be executable by one or more processors in an electronic device (device). One or more programs include instructions for causing an electronic device to execute methods according to embodiments described in a claim or specification of the present disclosure.

Such programs (software modules, software) include random access memory, non-volatile memory including flash memory, read only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (electrically erasable programmable read only memory, EEPROM), magnetic disc storage device, compact disc-ROM (CD-ROM), digital versatile discs (DVDs), or other It may be stored in an optical storage device or a magnetic cassette. Alternatively, it may be stored in a memory composed of a combination of some or all thereof. In addition, each configuration memory may be included in plurality.

In addition, the program is transmitted through a communication network consisting of a communication network such as the Internet, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or a storage area network (SAN), or a combination thereof. It may be stored on an attachable storage device that can be accessed. Such a storage device may be connected to a device implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure through an external port. In addition, a separate storage device on the communication network may be connected to the device implementing the embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the specific embodiments of the present disclosure described above, components included in the disclosure are expressed in the singular or plural according to the specific embodiments presented. However, the singular or plural expression is appropriately selected for the situation presented for convenience of description, and the present disclosure is not limited to the singular or plural component, and even if the component is expressed in plural, it is composed of the singular or singular. Even an expressed component may be composed of a plurality of components.

Meanwhile, although specific embodiments have been described in the detailed description of the present disclosure, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the described embodiments and should be defined by the claims described below as well as the claims and equivalents.

Claims (20)

In a wireless communication system, in an electronic device,
processor;
antenna array;
a plurality of first radio frequency (RF) paths associated with a first stream, each of the first RF paths including a transmit path and a receive path;
a plurality of second RF paths associated with a second stream, each of the second RF paths including a transmit path and a receive path;
The processor is
generating a calibration signal for the antenna array;
based on a phase difference or gain difference between one transmit path having the first stream and one receive path having the second stream, obtained for each of the measurement RF paths among the plurality of first RF paths, Acquire characteristic information about the antenna array,
and performing calibration on the plurality of first RF paths based on the characteristic information.
The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to acquire characteristic information of a corresponding measured RF path according to a calibration signal sequentially applied to each of the measured RF paths.
The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to acquire characteristic information of a corresponding measured RF path according to calibration signals jointly applied to each of the measured RF paths.
The method according to claim 1,
The measurement RF paths are paths other than a transmission path and a reception path corresponding to one stream among the plurality of first RF paths,
The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the transmission path and the reception path corresponding to the one stream are reference paths.
5. The method according to claim 4,
The phase difference or the gain difference is a difference between the reference path and the measurement RF paths.
The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to correct the phase difference or the gain difference.
The method according to claim 1,
and the measurement RF paths are each configured such that one transmit path with the first stream and one receive path with the second stream are connected by a coupling structure.
8. The method of claim 7,
The electronic device, wherein the connection structure includes a transmission line and at least one switch.
9. The method of claim 8,
The at least one switch is connected in series or parallel with the transmission line.
The method according to claim 7, wherein the configuration of the measurement RF paths is such that the connection structure connects one transmit path with the first stream and one receive path with the second stream directly through a conductive member or via. An electronic device comprising: connecting, or indirectly connecting through a coupling.
A method of operating an electronic device in a wireless communication system, the method comprising:
A process of generating a calibration signal for an antenna array, the antenna array comprising: a plurality of first radio frequency (RF) paths associated with a first stream and a plurality of second streams associated with a second stream connected to second RF paths of
based on a phase difference or gain difference between one transmit path having the first stream and one receive path having the second stream, obtained for each of the measurement RF paths among the plurality of first RF paths, a process of obtaining characteristic information about the antenna array;
and performing calibration on the plurality of first RF paths based on the characteristic information.
The method according to claim 11, wherein the obtaining of the characteristic information comprises:
and acquiring characteristic information of a corresponding measured RF path according to a calibration signal sequentially applied to each of the measured RF paths.
The method according to claim 11, wherein the obtaining of the characteristic information comprises:
and acquiring characteristic information for each of the measured RF paths according to calibration signals jointly applied to the measured RF paths.
12. The method of claim 11,
The measurement RF paths are paths other than a transmission path and a reception path corresponding to one stream among the plurality of first RF paths,
A transmission path and a reception path corresponding to the one stream are reference paths.
15. The method of claim 14,
wherein the phase difference or the gain difference is a difference between the reference path and the measurement RF paths.
The method of claim 11 , wherein the performing of the calibration comprises:
and correcting the phase difference or the gain difference.
12. The method of claim 11,
and the measurement RF paths are each configured such that one transmit path with the first stream and one receive path with the second stream are connected by a coupling structure.
18. The method of claim 17,
wherein the connection structure comprises a transmission line and at least one switch.
19. The method of claim 18,
The at least one switch is connected in series or parallel with the transmission line.
18. The method of claim 17,
The configuration of the measurement RF paths is such that the connection structure directly connects one transmit path having the first stream and one receive path having the second stream through a conductive member or via, or coupling. A method, which consists in indirectly connecting through (coupling).

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